Seoul in Winter (Day 1: Getting There Fast and Taking It Slow)

We've made it to the much anticipated year-end vacation to none other than.... no prizes for guesses!

We've been to Korea a number of times now, and you'd think that with every trip we would get more and more adventurous. Sorry to disappoint, but this year has been one of those when we really needed a vacation that would allow us to relax and recharge, and we made sure the two week itinerary for this trip allows that. Hence, we decided to plonk ourselves in the heart of the city, make plenty of time to just be together as a family, and hopefully visit something interesting everyday.

The excitement was just overwhelming coming into D-day. It was written all over the faces of the girls since they woke up but thanks to work and other responsibilities, there was still so much last minute packing and housework to be done. When we finally made our way to Terminal 3 for dinner, it finally felt real.

The online check-in allowed us to get into the transit area quickly after arrival at the airport. The airline staff from SIA were on site to help us with the printing of boarding passes and dropping off our (very many) check-in luggage.

After a treat at Burger King, Mummy wanted to get a gift for our friends from another terminal and the girls pleaded to stay at the T3 play-area where they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. We were surprised that although it was already very late, there were still so many active and energetic children all over the place. They made new friends very quickly and I hardly heard from them until it was time to board.

Quite an awesome play-area with slides, plenty of climbing, and most of all, plenty of company!

The younger girl knocked out for most of the flight but the older one indulged in the entertainment system on board our flight before falling asleep only hours after. It was a far cry from the days when we used to struggle with crying babies and diaper changes. As expected, they struggled to wake up and have some breakfast before arrival, but there were some items we could take with us from the kids' meal.

When we alighted, there was some confusion as we lost Daddy after our toilet break and ended up being so delayed trying to link up again that the ground staff collected all our baggage and were about to take them to the Lost-and-Found counter. We finally found each other, cleared immigration and got our bags and boarded our bus for the apartment that we booked via Airbnb.com.

Glad to be on our way. We all spent most of the hour-plus ride in dreamland.

Alighting at Myeongdong we were faced with the full-force of the cold and immediately we opened our check-in luggage to pull out all our heavier jackets. Thankfully. the apartment was just a short walk away, and we were impressed with the spaciousness of the single-room apartment on the fifth floor. The girls got unpacking automatically like they rehearsed the whole drill and Daddy and Mummy were so impressed at their housekeeping and effort to keep the place tidy. It was not a hotel so there was no room make-up service, and it would help if they kept this up. The host who spoke fluent English (which we found out later he self-taught) patiently brought us through the facilities of the building, the workings of the room, and even recommended his favourite places to eat Korean BBQ and fried chicken. He even offered to call in a delivery if we were too tired to go out and have lunch. One of the things about staying in Korea is the recycling culture and we were also informed how to separate the different recyclable materials into various trash compartments and where and when to empty our trash.

The room came with a dressing table, a dining table, a kitchenette, a small sitting balcony and a beautiful toilet. Everything seemed to be provided from hair-dryer, adapters and charging ports, towels and toiletries, dishes and kitchen ware. Even the washing machine came with detergent.

Floral decorations on the beds.

The dressing table. The large mirror is useful when you for the three ladies and you can guess the table was covered in girl-stuff very quickly after.

The sitting area in the balcony.

But our tummies were rumbling and we heeded to the call to visit one of Mummy's favourite local eating houses round the corner for our welcome-meal. There was no agenda today except to clear some of the items ordered by our friends (mostly cosmetic and skin-care items), catch up on some sleep, and pay a visit to the family who hosted Mummy on her very first visit to Korea.

The girls shared a dumpling soup with rice and Mummy had a hot bowl of kimchi soup.

Daddy loves the meaty broths, and had ox-tail soup this time.

Hitting the streets for a stroll, we soon found out that we forgot to bring along our passport to facilitate the tax-refund, and had to come back another day to get more shopping done. Good thing we only stay upstairs!

Post-lunch was spent napping in the room. The girls were knocked out cold for the next four hours, and Daddy (the avid runner) went out to clock more mileage. Perhaps he will summarize the running experience in a separate post for those who wish to know more about the beautiful places to jog. Seoul in winter is where you have to layer up for the cold run during the hottest part of the afternoon! Daddy took the opportunity to check out the money-changing rates at various parts of town, but came to the conclusion that the changer just below our apartment was still the best.

Beautiful marsh gardens beside the Cheonggyecheon stream.

The stream is bordered by the the cityscape nearer Myeongdong.

By the time the girls finally woke up, Daddy had showered  and we got ready to meet our friends. We took the subway even though it was just two stops away, and spent a meaningful couple of hours catching up with the family over some food, taking photographs, playing with their dog, exchanging gifts and souvenirs. We were so amazed by the size of the apples and pears here that our friends passed us an entire bag. I learnt they were called Busa apples and we have been seeing them at the local markets here. Always wanted to try one. There was some time to check out the street-food at Myeongdong for supper before turning in at almost midnight!

Baked sweet potato is comforting on a cold night.

Daddy takes a bite into the massive Busa apple, ... ... and another bite, and another bite, and another bite...

Day one has come to an end. We like the pace, and hope to keep it up tomorrow. For now, it's going to be a good night's sleep and we're so excited what awaits us tomorrow!

SEA Games 2015 Marathon

5am! The alarm sounds and it's time to wake up after hitting the sack at midnight. We had attended the wedding dinner of a close friend the night before and had difficulty getting out of bed. Duty calls, however and this morning, we're going to support the marathoners at the SEA Games! Uncle Ashley was going to lay it all out on the line for Singapore, and we hoped our light-sticks, pom-poms and hearty cheers would help to send him quickly to the finish.

We overcome the initial sluggishness, donned our 'Ash in a Flash' limited edition T-shirts, and caught a predawn cab to reach Parkland Green around 6.00 am. We did not encounter much difficulty with road-closures, but was surprised to see how empty the park was. East Coast Park was the venue for a number of sports, and the men's triathlon was flagging off later in the morning too. After some navigation, we found ourselves at the u-turn, and waited in anticipation for the leaders to appear.

"Gimme an 'A'!" No prizes for guessing who we're cheering for this morning!

The sky was overcast red and a there were intermittent drizzles. We had strayed too far from the shelters at Parkland Green, but there was a shed nearby in which we planned to take cover in if the heavens opened. Mummy had also packed along our raincoats and umbrellas.

The marathoners made their first u-turn on time a little past 6.20 am. At first it was difficult to see who was who, and we shouted general cheers for everyone. As they ran past us, it was apparent that everyone was keeping it close, which was expected at this point in the race.

The men's marathon staying tight after the first turn. It's still early in the race, and anything can happen.

The leading women followed shortly after and they seemed to be a little more spread out than the men with a handful of women in a lead pack. It must be difficult running a marathon with so few competitors as the trailers soon found themselves alone without anyone to feed off. There were sections of the course that were very quiet, and many of them must have realised that they had to dig deep to find sources of motivation within themselves instead of relying on external sources.

"Ash in a Flash!"

In between cheering, we have the opportunity to chat with and make new friends with the other supporters. There were many park users who where surprised by the extensive road and pathway closures, and those who stopped their morning routines momentarily to appreciate the race.

At about the third loop, it began to rain heavily. Daddy and K got drenched as they were on the way to the toilet. For the final loops, we got into our raincoats and cheered on the runners as we slowly made our way back to the facilities at Parkland Green.

Supporters have gathered at Parkland Green despite the downpour.

After the final runners completed the loops at East Coast Park, we headed indoors for breakfast at a café. It's been a long cold morning and it was nice to have hot chocolate and some warm food as we kept our eyes peeled on social media for the results.

Warming up after a job well done!

Time to make new friends...

The Singapore course was expected to be unkind with its intermittent rains, surprising humidity and lonely stretches.  Singapore took home the gold in a historic race on home-soil, but everyone who toed the starting line was a winner in our hearts. Distance running is a metaphor for the long journey in life. It is about giving it all, leaving nothing on the course, and finishing strong. Some of the gutsiest performances were witnessed in the runners who had a bad day. After the lead packs had passed by the course became quiet, and the trailing runners marched on with resolve and national-pride that went beyond the glories of winning. Watching them was a chance to appreciate sportsmanship at its finest.

We agreed that despite the early wake-up call and the rain, it was a morning well spent together as a family, generating conversations about sportsmanship and hard work. While we have been able to catch some of the sporting action online, nothing beats being on site. The emotions, feelings and intensity of the sport literally plays out in front of you and you feel drawn into the action.

It's just across the causeway in two years time, so maybe......

Western Australia Day 7: Hotham Valley Tourist Railway & Western Australian Museum

Daddy is ecstatic to see us at the finish line!

Daddy got a ride at 2.30 am from one of the volunteers at the 6 Inch Trail Marathon, and we were going to meet him at the finish line at Dwellingup, which is about an hour plus drive from Perth Hills. When we got there at the designated time at 9 am, we ended up waiting 30 minutes for him to show up. It turned out that he got lost and ran an additional forty minutes in the hills. Well, he wanted a good, long run, and that's what he got!

It was really nice seeing everyone at the finishing line, clapping for and cheering on every runner that ran past. From where we were standing, we could see the volunteers along the running trail, encouraging everyone as well. Despite the cold wind, it sure warmed our hearts (at least, mine) to see such an embracing community.

While Daddy cooled down and got changed, we got our tickets for a ride on the Forest Train which departs at 10.30 am from Dwellingup Railway Station. The Hotham Valley Tourist Railway operates the historic train services from the station twice daily. Once at 1030am and another at 2pm. Since we were there, we had to try it.

The Forest Train was hauled by this diesel powered locomotive. It was fun to hear her blast her horn each time we approached a crossing.

All set and ready to ride on the Forest Train to Etmilyn.



The friendly staff sending us off with a bright smile. You can get your tickets from the small hut-sized station. 

The ride was about 20 minutes long and we got ourselves some chips and muffins to snack along the way. Mummy had braved the drive from Perth without Daddy in the early morning, and we did not have chance to grab a bite before leaving the house.

At Etmilyn, visitors have the opportunity to explore a short trail-walk around the area that loops back to the train while the driver prepared the locomotive for the return journey. There were informative signboards along the walk that described to us various plant species along the trail. We learnt that the trees dubbed 'Black-Butt' had black trunks as they were commonly charred by bush-fires in hot and dry summers of WA. When we found our way back to the train after our stroll, the driver had prepared a box of ice-cold drinks for sale, and we gladly helped ourselves to a couple of cans to cool off from the heat.

We've arrived! 

Exploring the trails around Etmilyn. Note that many of the trees around here appear to be charred by a recent bush fire.

The walk is an easy 25 minute loop that brings us back to the train.

Arriving back at Dwellingup Railway Station.

The plan for the afternoon was to check out the Western Australian Museum at the Perth Cultural Centre. It was lunch time and we made a detour to Flipside Burgers at Northbridge to enjoy the air-conditioning, free WiFi, and shared two of their signature beef burgers: BBQ Bacon and Cheese, and the Blue Train. Light, simply and yummy, grilled right across the counter from where we were seated.

You're looking at our beef burgers at Flipside Burgers, Northbridge.

The eatery is very family friendly, and even provided us with stationery and paper for our rounds of 'Hangman' and drawings. Before we left, we had a chance to pin our sketches to the 'Wall of Art"... good old fashioned offline photo-sharing.

On the way to the museum, we chanced upon some street installations that were quite interesting, including this one - the Perth Cultural Centre Play Space. We did not notice it at first, but heard a mishmash of clanging and ringing sounds coming from around the corner. We decided to have a closer look as it was just next to the museum.

The playground concept is a combination of various props that stimulate the senses.

These 'drums' made low booming noises...

...while these pot-like ones made ringing, clanging noises.

One of our favourite activities when we visit a new place together is to check out the local museums. The Perth Cultural Centre is an entire city block of galleries and exhibits, but it is a pity we will only have time for one museum today. We chose the Western Australian Museum because Daddy was a natural history buff and Mummy is interested in both natural and human geography.

There was a special exhibition going on when we visited about the Hidden Treasures of Afghanistan, but we decided to stick to the permanent galleries instead. Admission was free for the permanent exhibitions.

A large dinosaur greets us as we enter the main hall.

The Marine Gallery showcases a selection of wildlife recorded from WA's coastal habitats including coral reefs and mangrove areas.

The Mammal Gallery takes your breadth away with life-like replicas of beasts from all over the world. There are impressive skeleton displays of large mammals including the elephant and hippo.

Skeletons teach us a lot about the similarities and differences of these animals. There is even a human skeleton here.

Appreciating the diversity of the smaller mammals.

The Bird Gallery.

Perhaps our favourite gallery had to be the 'Diamonds to Dinosaurs' exhibition on the second floor.

Excavation site replica.

The exhibit has a collection of fossils depicting primitive marine animals.

Check out the size of the Elephant Bird's skull and egg!

Gawking at the ferocious demeanor of some predatory dinos.

The gallery has a section showcasing the amazing geological features of our earth.

Diamonds!

The girls get a lesson on the many inner layers of the earth.

The museum puts in a lot of effort to engage its visitors both young and old, with digital panels like this one that encourages children to identify the various animals spotted in the mangrove swamps. There are also reading corners, videos and interactive screens.

The museum's Discovery Centre gives children a chance to get up close with some the exhibits. Activity stations allow them to touch and inspect various items. The centre also hosts programmes and activities to engage children.

We did not have time to check out the Discovery Centre as we were tired out by the early day. Definitely a must if you're dropping by with young ones during the holidays.

We were all tired out by the early wake-up call today and decided to head back for an early take-home microwaved dinner. It was nice to less than an hour away after all the longer drives last week. Our first full-day in Perth came to an end with an early lights off. More adventures around Swan Valley tomorrow to look forward to.